Mrs BRAHAM - 1995-08-22
Will the minister advise whether the government has provided any assistance to the Darwin-based electricity generation company, Powercorp, to secure work in Malaysia?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I thank my colleague from central Australia for her question. Powercorp is a very interesting company that has established in the Trade Development Zone. I take this opportunity to congratulate its managing director, Alan Langworthy, on its work and the penetration into the marketplace that its product is starting to enjoy. Recently, when I visited the Trade Development Zone, shortly after taking up this portfolio, I had the pleasure of making a tour of its operations. I have watched its system in practice.
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Powercorp has been working in conjunction with my department since 1994 to secure work on power infrastructure projects in Malaysia. It has been active throughout the Territory since 1990 in the design and production of integrated power systems (IPS). Its systems provide power to communities as remote as Nyirripi, Yuendumu, Hermannsburg, Croker Island, Maningrida and Palumpa, as well as the mine site at Cape Flattery. These IPS systems are quite interesting. The development in electronics today is such that you can sit in an office in the Trade Development Zone and bring a generator in Yuendumu on line or shut it down for maintenance, or read the temperature on the heads of the cylinders and, if there is a problem, shut it off. That can all be done from Darwin, because the system is connected through a modem to the company's monitoring computers. It is amazing and valuable technology. These IPS systems are unmanned, fully automated and run on a hybrid configuration. A system can be operated using diesel, battery, wind or a combination of all of those if the conditions are suitable.
My department was instrumental in organising meetings with representatives of Tenaga Nasional of Malaysia at the highest level. These introductions have led to the signing of a memorandum of understanding with Tenaga Nasional's research and development arm. The MOU sees both companies pooling their skills to bid for power projects in Malaysia. Tenaga Nasional is the privatised public utility in Malaysia. It is the equivalent of our own Power and Water Authority but it has been privatised and positioned to bid for power generation projects along with other companies. Thus, Powercorp has made quite a significant choice in its venture partner.
On 25 July, Powercorp's managing director announced that the joint venture had been awarded a major contract for the automation of a power station in Sabah. The facility in the remote town of Ranau Kundasang, some 70 km from Kota Kinabalu, will be of a diesel and multi-hydro makeup. The hydro components will take the place of some of the outmoded diesel generation equipment. Not only will the people of that region have a more reliable service, but they will be contributing to the reduction of atmospheric pollution. That contract for the Sabah Electricity Board is worth some $5.2m. As mentioned, it is the culmination of many months of hard work by the joint venture companies. It represents outstanding cooperation between a Territory-based company and a Malaysian power utility. There is potential now for even greater cooperation between Powercorp and its Malaysian partners with the recent announcement of a further $40m being allocated to upgrade remote area facilities such as those at Ranau Kundasang.
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ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I thank my colleague from central Australia for her question. Powercorp is a very interesting company that has established in the Trade Development Zone. I take this opportunity to congratulate its managing director, Alan Langworthy, on its work and the penetration into the marketplace that its product is starting to enjoy. Recently, when I visited the Trade Development Zone, shortly after taking up this portfolio, I had the pleasure of making a tour of its operations. I have watched its system in practice.
Page 776
Powercorp has been working in conjunction with my department since 1994 to secure work on power infrastructure projects in Malaysia. It has been active throughout the Territory since 1990 in the design and production of integrated power systems (IPS). Its systems provide power to communities as remote as Nyirripi, Yuendumu, Hermannsburg, Croker Island, Maningrida and Palumpa, as well as the mine site at Cape Flattery. These IPS systems are quite interesting. The development in electronics today is such that you can sit in an office in the Trade Development Zone and bring a generator in Yuendumu on line or shut it down for maintenance, or read the temperature on the heads of the cylinders and, if there is a problem, shut it off. That can all be done from Darwin, because the system is connected through a modem to the company's monitoring computers. It is amazing and valuable technology. These IPS systems are unmanned, fully automated and run on a hybrid configuration. A system can be operated using diesel, battery, wind or a combination of all of those if the conditions are suitable.
My department was instrumental in organising meetings with representatives of Tenaga Nasional of Malaysia at the highest level. These introductions have led to the signing of a memorandum of understanding with Tenaga Nasional's research and development arm. The MOU sees both companies pooling their skills to bid for power projects in Malaysia. Tenaga Nasional is the privatised public utility in Malaysia. It is the equivalent of our own Power and Water Authority but it has been privatised and positioned to bid for power generation projects along with other companies. Thus, Powercorp has made quite a significant choice in its venture partner.
On 25 July, Powercorp's managing director announced that the joint venture had been awarded a major contract for the automation of a power station in Sabah. The facility in the remote town of Ranau Kundasang, some 70 km from Kota Kinabalu, will be of a diesel and multi-hydro makeup. The hydro components will take the place of some of the outmoded diesel generation equipment. Not only will the people of that region have a more reliable service, but they will be contributing to the reduction of atmospheric pollution. That contract for the Sabah Electricity Board is worth some $5.2m. As mentioned, it is the culmination of many months of hard work by the joint venture companies. It represents outstanding cooperation between a Territory-based company and a Malaysian power utility. There is potential now for even greater cooperation between Powercorp and its Malaysian partners with the recent announcement of a further $40m being allocated to upgrade remote area facilities such as those at Ranau Kundasang.
Page 777
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016